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Thursday, 14 November 2013

The 8-horse race?

When the Barclays Premier League began its 22nd
season in August this year, all was, it seemed at the time, in the balance. The
first 11 rounds certainly seem to have backed up that notion. Managerial
changes for the top 3 meant the door had been opened (even if narrowly) for the
likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs to show them what this league could
become.

A veritable six-horse race ensued and expanded to include the
likes of high-flying Southampton and the ever-present Evertonians. And now, we
have 4 points separating Liverpool in 2nd and Manchester City in 8th.
The most competitive league in the world from top-to-bottom just re-set its own
benchmark. This season, in many ways, promises to be a milestone one.

Manchester United, under Alex Ferguson’s heir David Moyes,
haven’t been quite the force of last season. Stuttering against West Brom at
home and against Liverpool and Manchester City away in quick succession saw
them slip far off the pace and at one point they were 11 points off the summit.
There was fear among the Old Trafford faithful- that a club so used to being at
the pinnacle of British football may now have to fight to get into its top
three!

Fortunately, this happened to be the perfect season to have
slip-ups. Manchester City’s horrendous away record has seen them pick up a mere
4 points in 6 away games while Chelsea have thrown their hat in the ring for
“most unpredictable top 4 team” by consistently following up stupendous
performances with damp squibs.

All of this has been played out against the backdrop of a
sensational Arsenal start- the best the club has maybe ever seen in the Wenger
era! It began all wrong with a shameful 3-1 humbling at home to Villa, but
since then the Gunners have not looked back. Buoyed by the signing of one of
the world’s best creative mid-fielders in Mesut Ozil, Arsenal are finally
looking like a jigsaw with all the pieces in the right places.

Aaron Ramsey is looking like one of the world’s best
mid-fielders, and Olivier Giroud like one of the world’s best centre forwards.
Consistency seems to have found Arsenal and at the perfect time. Save a blip at
the weekend at Old Trafford, the Arsenal train has been rolling along rather
smoothly. This actually looks, for the first time in many years, like an
Arsenal team that could win the Barclays Premier League!

If, at the start of the season, anyone had told Liverpool
that they would be 2 points off the top after 11 games, that person would have
been declared either insane or a Liverpool fan. While this writer is not
entirely certain there is a difference between the two, even he cannot argue
that this would be the perfect time to take that ill-fated plunge and become a
Liverpool supporter! Suarez and Sturridge look dangerous in tandem, supported
by a back four that has epitomized stability. While it remains a stretch to
think they can win the title, their current form has seen them glide along
comfortably and, if the others keep slipping up, one can never tell!

With a league-topping 14 points in their last 6 games,
Southampton have flown into 3rd place- leap-frogging last season’s
top 3 in their entirety. Adam Lallana and Co. have looked inspired, but much of
the credit has to go to Mauricio Pochettino. The level of organization and
discipline has been matched only by the flair- Adam Lallana’s goal of the week
strike a prime example! Where will they finish? Well, only the BPL Gods know.
But one would be awfully hard-pressed to think that they would be relegation
candidates again. Southampton finish in the top 8 for this writer.

Everton have moved on seamlessly from the David Moyes era-
maybe setting a precedent for, ironically, Moyes’ new club Manchester United.
Everton had over 70% possession at the weekend against Crystal Palace- a league
record this year. That’s an indication of their new approach- keep the ball,
build up the play and always look to score goals. One can’t help but admire how
Martinez has brought his Wigan influence to the Toffees and, for this writer, Everton
finish top 6.

So what’s the verdict, then? Who gets the big prize? Who will
win the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League? Hardly an easy question to answer. And
the truth is that anyone who answers it today would more likely get it wrong
than right.

Manchester United have finally worked up a decent head of
steam but the International Break comes at exactly the wrong time. For Arsenal,
it couldn’t have come at a better time! The Gunners have had 4 or 5 very pressing
fixtures and can finally breathe a little easily and get back to the grind in a
fortnight.

Chelsea under Mourinho can never be counted out- but
inconsistency is the enemy of efficiency and the Special One no doubt
recognizes that! Manchester City need to start showing up away from home and
Manuel Pellegrini needs to start showing up at Press Conferences! One can only
hope he’s been saving his enthusiasm for the locker room because his
Conferences have been painfully placid.

All cards shall doubtless be revealed in May 2014 and then
the world shall see where the chips fall! Till then, keeping the old clichés
going, just enjoy the ride!